


Destiny Doesn't Exist

by combeferre_writer01



Category: Smallville
Genre: Best Friends, Clark tells Lex the truth, F/M, He also tells Lana, good!lex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:40:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24428149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/combeferre_writer01/pseuds/combeferre_writer01
Summary: Life in Smallville changed for everyone in October of 1989 when the meteors fell. Lex Luthor went bald at the age of nine; Lana Lang was orphaned at the age of three; Mr. and Mrs. Kent adopted a son around that time; some people gained odd mutations; Juliet Summers was paralyzed from the waist down. Everyone adjusted to life as best they could, but even twelve years later the town was still reeling as the meteor rocks continued to wreak havoc.
Relationships: Clark Kent & Original Female Character(s), Clark Kent/Lana Lang, Eventual Lex Luthor/OC, Lex Luthor/Original Female Character
Comments: 5
Kudos: 12





	1. Weird Nights Lead to Good Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A scarecrow is chosen with some collateral. It's Lex's turn to come to the rescue and he's rewarded with a some bonding time between him and Juliet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just the rest of episode one. Comments and kudos are always appreciated. 
> 
> The verse of song Juliet sings is my favorite verse from Leonard Cohen's 1984 "Hallelujah". I thought it fit her character pretty well.

At the end of the day, Clark walked from the school building, down the damp should he come across Juliet. Suddenly, a hand was on his shoulder, stopping him. “Chloe, just leave me alone,” he said, knowing it couldn’t have been Juliet. Nonetheless, he turned. He wasn’t expecting to see Whitney. 

“Congratulations, Clark. You’re this year’s scarecrow.” 

Clark pushed Whitney’s hand off of him. “Don’t mess with me right now,” he warns. 

Whitney took off his jacket and Clark went to punch him, but felt weakened when his hand got closer to Whitney. Whitney easily dodged the punch and threw Clark to the ground. The jock grabbed Clark by the shirt, towering over him. “What’s going on with you and Lana?”

“Nothing.” Clark caught sight of the necklace hanging around Whitney’s neck: the green one Lana usually wore. 

“Huh? Like her necklace?” Whitney took it off. “Good. ‘Cause this is as close as you’re ever going to get to her.” Whitney put it instead around Clark’s neck. 

A couple of Whitney’s friends came over and helped him to haul Clark up off the ground. Right before they got Clark off the ground, Juliet came rolling down the ramp at full speed and went right over one of the jocks’ toes, getting a pained yell from him. 

“Get the hell away from him!” She yelled. 

“Jules, don’t!” 

“Too late for that,” Whitney scoffed. “Don’t worry, Kent. We’ve got some extra rope.”

* * *

That night, Clark hung from a cross frame in the cornfield, Lana’s necklace still around his neck, only with the addition of a red ‘S’ on his chest and the loss of all his clothes but his boxers. He shuddered and struggled for breath.

A few feet away stood Jeremy. “It never changes.” 

Clark lifted his head. “Help me.” 

“Hurts, doesn’t it?” Jeremy asked. 

“You- You’re Jeremy.” 

“I thought if I punished them it would stop. But it never stops,” he turned and started walking away. 

Despite whatever was coming over him, Clark felt panic rising up in his chest. “Wait. Where are you going?” 

“Homecoming dance. I never made it to mine.” 

“Get me down. Please. They took my friend. I have to find her.” 

“You’re safer here,” Jeremy shook his head and kept walking.

* * *

Juliet sat on the floor of someone’s cellar- she wasn’t sure who’s- humming to herself. Her wrists were tied around the support beam going from floor to ceiling and her head rested on it. The humming was meant to calm herself down, but it wasn’t working as well as she had hoped. 

* * *

Lex was driving from  _ Luthor Fertilizer Plant No. 3 _ when he saw Jeremy jumping the fence bordering the corn field. Jeremy stared at the bald man and Lex was suddenly taken back to when he saw the same boy in the corn field 12 years ago. By the time Lex had his head back in the present, Jeremy was gone. Somehow, he hears Clark pleading for help. 

Flashlight in hand, Lex went tearing into the field in search of his new friend. “Clark?” His eyes widened as they landed on the poor boy. Clark looked up at the sound of his name, squinting against the light. “Aw, jeez. Who did this to you?” he asked while untying Clark. 

“Doesn’t matter.” Clark hit the ground and the necklace fell off. Suddenly, he felt good as new and rushed to retrieve his clothes. 

“Clark, you need to see a doctor.” 

“I’ll be okay. I have to do something. Lex, I need to go get Jules.”

“What? Is she okay?” Lex panicked. 

Clark gave Lex the address and they split ways. Before Lex left, he spotted Lana’s dull green necklace on the ground and picked it up before looking in the direction of where Clark went. He shook his head, pocketed the necklace, and went back to his car.

The drive didn’t take long and he found himself parked in front of an empty, decently sized house. He got out and turned on his flashlight. Looking around the front of the house, he spotted Juliet’s wheelchair outside of the storm cellar and ran to it. He pulled it open and started making his way down the stairs. Part way down, he could hear Juliet singing to herself. 

“I did my best, it wasn’t much. I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch. I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come to fool you. And even though it all went wrong, I’ll stand before the Lord of Song with nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah.” 

Lex realized he was still standing on the stairs, listening to her voice, when she suddenly stopped, sensing someone was there. He moved, again, down the stairs. Juliet went stiff.

“Who’s there?” she called out. 

Lex’s heart went out to her at the shakiness of her voice. “It’s me,” Lex said. He saw her and hated whoever tied her to the post. “Who the hell is messed up enough to tie  _ you _ to a post?” He quickly untied the girl’s hands. 

“Where’s Clark? Is he-”

“He’s okay. I found him and he told me where to find you. Let’s get you out of here.” He handed her the flashlight and scooped her up in his arms- her wrapping her arms around his neck- and carried her out of the cellar. “Why did they go after you? I thought they picked one kid to torture.”

“They  _ normally _ do only pick one. I uh...I got to the parking lot just when they started trying to load Clark into a truck so I rolled over one the guys’ feet. From the sounds of it, I broke at least two of his toes…” 

Lex laughed. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you, Juliet.” 

“Gotta make up for my legs somehow, you know?” 

He sat her in her chair and pushed it to his car. “Trust me when I say you don’t have anything to make for, alright?” Lex then lifted the girl into his car and put her wheelchair in the back seat. 

“You can ask,” she looked at him as he sat next to her.

“What?” 

“What every new person in my life wants to know,” she leveled him with a look. “There’s nothing wrong with being curious.” 

“It’s not my place,” Lex tried covering. 

“Tell you what: I’ll tell you why I can’t walk at 15 if you tell me why you’re bald at 21,” Juliet proposed. 

“Fair enough deal,” Lex nodded. 

“When the meteors hit 12 years ago, I was three. My dad was driving us home from somewhere or another when it started. I was in the back and my mom was in the passenger seat. We got into a car crash and… Well, I can’t walk, my dad broke his arm trying to get me out, and my mother died on impact. I’ve been in a wheelchair since I was three and Clark’s been pushing me around in it since we were five.” 

“I hadn’t realized you and Clark had known each other for so long.” 

“Mhm. After the meteor shower, my dad couldn’t work the farm anymore without the help of my mom and I wouldn’t be able to help him when I got bigger. The house had stairs leading into it and inside, so I couldn’t get to my room on the second floor. 

“We moved into one of those 1950s ranch style houses and he’d been friends with Mr. Kent since they were my and Clark’s age, so he was quick to hire my dad as a farm hand. Clark and I grew up together and have been ‘attached at the hip’ as his mom likes to say.” 

Lex chuckled. “That explains a lot.”

“Like him not hesitating to pick me up so he can carry me up the stairs?” Juliet giggled. “I’m probably the reason for half his upper body muscle mass.” 

Lex sighed. “My turn.” He subconsciously rubbed his head. “I was nine. My father and I had flown out from Metropolis for some business transaction he had to deal with. I was walking around in a cornfield while he worked things out. I stumbled across some high school kid tied up like Clark was- I’m guessing that’s the scarecrow thing still in action.”

“That’s how you knew where to find him,” Juliet muttered. 

“Yeah. The mind works in weird ways sometimes. But...uh, I don’t totally remember what happened, but my hair was gone when I woke up and it never grew back.” He sighed again. “You know, I used to be a ginger.” 

Juliet tried to hide her giggle but it came out as a squeak and Lex laughed. “You just- You don’t look like a ginger.” 

“I know. I’ve seen childhood pictures though. Sure as your hair’s brown, mine was bright orange.”

* * *

Lex pulled the car into the Summers’ yard and helped Juliet out of the car. “You’ll be okay from here?” He asked. 

“Yeah. I’m alright. I’ll call the Kents when I get inside to make sure Clark’s okay,” Juliet nodded. 

“Message me and let me know when you find out, alright?”

“Text me when you get home. I don’t want to distract you while you’re driving,” she teased with a smirk. 

Lex matched her smirk and held out a business card and pen. “If you’d be so kind.” 

Juliet laid the card on her thigh and wrote down her number. “I’ll talk to you in a bit, Lex.” 

“I promise I won’t text until I’m  _ inside _ the mansion,” Lex assured her. 

“I’ll hold you to that.” She rolled her chair up the ramp replacing the stairs most houses would have. “Thank you, by the way, for finding us.” 

“No trouble. Thanks for the conversation.”

* * *

“Hello?” Martha answered the wall phone. 

“Hi, Mrs. Kent, it’s Jules. Is Clark home?”

“Yeah. He’s out in the loft. I’ll call for hi-”

“Oh! No, no. It’s okay. I just wanted to make sure he made it home from the dance 

okay. Chloe said she didn’t see him there so I was a little worried,” she fibbed. She didn’t know how much about night Clark told his parents and didn’t want to say anything she shouldn’t. 

“That’s very sweet of you, Juliet. He came home about 10 minutes ago. I was a little shocked to see you weren’t with him.” She leaned against the wall next to her. 

“Eh. School dancers aren’t my thing; they’re kinda boring. I was just hangin’ out in my room with some music.” 

“Well, I hope you had a nice evening,” Martha smiled sadly to herself. 

“Yeah, it wasn’t too bad, all in all.” Her mind drifted to the ride home Lex gave her. Her phone beeped. “Oh! I’m getting a text; I should make sure it’s not my dad. I’ll let you go Mrs. Kent.” 

“Alright. I’ll tell Clark you called. Good night, Juliet.” 

“Good night.” 

Juliet hung up and opened the text. It was from an unknown number, but the message itself told her who it was from:  _ Safely sitting on the couch; didn’t even hit anyone on the way here. Any word on Clark? _

She giggled and shook her head, replying after adding the number to her contacts.  _ Just got off the phone with Mrs. Kent. He’s fine and home. _


	2. Not Your Everyday Meet-Cute

Chloe and Pete helped Juliet up the stairs at the front of the school. 

“So, has anyone asked either of you to the dance?” Pete asked the two girls. 

“Not yet,” the blonde answered with a shrug. 

“No one’s gonna ask me.” Juliet scoffed. 

“You could always go with Clark, Jules.” Pete suggested. “That is if things don’t work out between him and Chloe.” 

“Pete,” Chloe started, “do you want to take a commercial break from the soap opera in your head? I’ve told you 100 times, I’m not interested in Clark. I hope he and Jules go together.” 

“I don’t do school dances.” Juliet shook her head, her brown ponytail bobbing and rolled along in her wheelchair beside her friends. “They’re so boring.” 

“I still think Chloe’s in vehement denial.” Pete said, looking down at Juliet. “But hey, if Jules isn’t going, maybe you and I could go together. I mean, not as a date-date thing. More as a friend-friend thing.” 

“I think that’s just called hanging out, Pete.” The three pats anyone else would have landed on Pete’s shoulder were on his elbow. 

“Hi, guys,” Clark said from out of nowhere. 

The trio turned to look at their fourth member. 

“Uh, didn’t you just- Weren’t you-”

“I took a shortcut,” Clark cut Chloe off.

“Through what? A black hole?” The blonde cocked her head. 

Pete chuckled. “Clark, you’ll have to excuse our intrepid reporter. Seems as though her weirdar is on Def-con 5. She thought something was attacking the bus.” 

“I’m so happy I can’t take the bus,” Juliet grinned. “One of the few props of this thing.” She patted the right wheel of her chair. 

“Okay, but seriously, just because everyone else chooses to ignore the strange things that happen in this leafy little hamlet doesn’t mean they don’t happen,” Chloe tried defending herself. 

Pete shook his head. “Now, you know Clark and I would love to join you and Scooby inside the Mystery Machine for another zany adventure, but we’ve got to hand in these permission slips before homeroom.” 

Juliet grinned and looked up at Clark. “Your dad signed your slip?” 

“I didn’t ask him,” Clark lied. “I’m having second thoughts. I don’t think signing up for the team is such a great idea.” 

Pete sighed. “Clark, listen, this is the only way.” 

Chloe’s eyes widened. “Wait. Wait. Wait. You two are trying out for the football team? What is this, some sort of teen suicide pact?” 

Pete grabbed Chloe and pulled her off to the side. Clark took hold of the handles on Juliet’s chair and followed after their friends. “We’re trying to avoid becoming this year’s scarecrow,” Pete whispered as though someone was listening. 

“What are you talking about?” Chloe whispered back. “And why are we whispering?” Her voice returned to normal volume. 

“That homecoming tradition?” Juliet looked between Clark and Pete. “My dad was the scarecrow his freshman year. He was in the hospital for...three days, I think? They dislocated his shoulder and he was super dehydrated.” 

“Jules is right. Every year before the big game, the football players select a freshman, take him off to Reilly Field, strip him down to his boxers and then pain a ‘S’ on his chest.”

“And then string him up like a scarecrow,” Clark finished for Pete.

“Jeez, that sounds like years of therapy waiting to happen.” Chloe shuddered. 

“Why do you think we’re trying out for the team? Figure they won’t choose one of their own,” Pete concluded. 

“So you two skip that day, they pick me, and you come let me down,” Juliet shrugged. “Not much they can do to hurt a cripple. What are they gonna do? Take off with my training wheels?” 

“Yeah, that’s a bad idea,” Clark frantically shook his head. “I’m gonna go the long way with Jules. We’ll see you guys in class.” Clark took hold, again, of the handles on Juliet’s wheelchair. Juliet waved over her shoulder to Chloe and Pete. 

Pete pulled a five dollar bill from his pocket. “Give him ten seconds,” he smirked at Chloe. 

“Five,” she corrected. 

“You know, Clark, I wouldn’t be hurt if you-” she yelped when Clark fell and her chair went flying. She slammed down the levers in front of the wheels and rocked forward as her chair stopped with a jerk. She sat, leaned over, trying to catch her breath. 

“Nietzsche. Didn’t realize you had a dark side, Clark.” Lana said as she handed him his book. 

Whitney laughed at the horrified look on Juliet’s face as he passed her but his laughter instantly stopped when he saw Lana talking to Clark. Juliet knew nothing good ever happened when Clark and Whitney were within five feet of each other. She pushed the levers back and made her way to Clark and Lana. 

“Dude, are you feeling alright?” Whitney was asking Clark as Juliet caught up. “You look like you’re about to hurl.” 

“I’m fine.” Clark was sitting on the short, stone fence. 

Lana and Whitney turned and walked off, but Whitney stopped and bent down to pick something up. “You forgot one, Clark.” He tossed it to Clark and who dropped his other class materials, landing back on the ground. 

Juliet bent as much as she could to help Clark pick up his things, but he shook his head. “I’ve got it.” He straightened up once his things were back in his arms. He swung his backpack down and loaded the books into it. “I’m really sorry, Jules. I-I don’t know what happened. I guess I tripped…”

“It’s alright. I’m not hurt. See?” To prove her point, she spun her wheelchair in a circle, and held her arms out as she spun. “I can still do my little tricks.” She grinned when Clark chuckled. 

“Let’s get to class.”

* * *

A young looking man punched through a trophy case, his hand wrapped in a bandanna to protect his hand. He took one of the photos, three football players, and studied it. 

“It’s payback time,” he whispered to himself. He threw the bandanna on the floor as he walked away.

* * *

A blue-grey Porsche drove towards a plant with a sign reading  _ Luthor Corp Fertilizer Plant No. 3 _ before the parking lot. A young, bald man got out of the car, his black jacket and jeans almost instantly getting soaked by the heavy rain. 

“Thanks, Dad,” he scoffed to himself.

* * *

“I’ll be okay in the yard for a few minutes, Dad,” Juliet promised. 

“Just- The spare isn’t as a stable as your good one. I don’t want you to get hurt.” 

A black car pulled into the drive; Steven got out of his chair and went to the open 

screen door. Lex Luther exited the car and walked closer. 

“Can I help you?” Steven arched an eyebrow. 

“Are you Steven Summers, Juliet’s father?” 

“Ah. You must be the idiot who was driving too fast. I got an earful about you from Jonathan when he and his boy came by yesterday to get my daughter’s spare chair last night.”

“That’s why I came by. I was planning on coming later, but I figured having  a new chair before school would benefit Juliet better if she had it before the day started.” 

Juliet backed herself from the table and went to the door. “Dad, who’s- Oh. Mr.  Luthor.” 

“Please, just Lex.” He offered a smile. “I brought something by for you.” He opened  the trunk of his car and took out a violet wheelchair with a black seat and back. He put the chair on the ground and opened it. “I don’t know what your favorite color is, but the person I bought the chair from said violet was a popular color.” 

Juliet rolled out the door, her eyes wide. “You bought me a new wheelchair?” 

“It’s an apology for...well, destroying yours yesterday.” 

“Look, Lex. This is very kind and all, but we can’t accept this-”

“Dad, we don’t have the money for a new chair right now. There’s no harm in  accepting a gift.” She turned to Lex. “I really can’t thank you enough.” 

“Well, your friend saved my life and I almost killed you. I thought I owed you both a bit  of something.” Lex stuffed his hands into his pants pockets. 

Juliet put the brakes on her chair and made sure the breaks were down on the new chair. “Do you need help getting in?” Lex took a step towards the teen but stopped when she shook  her head.

“Nah, I’ve got it.” She planted her hands on the sides of the new chair and pushed 

herself up out of the old, shifted her upper body, eased herself into the new chair, and used her hands to move her legs. “Tada!” She held her arms out and grinned at Lex. 

He chuckled. “You’re stronger than you look, Miss Summers.” 

“Clark thinks he’s cool because he can throw a 200 pound hay-bale six feet over his  head. Don’t tell him I told you, but I can do more pull-ups than he can. He can do 15 and his shoulders get tired. I can do 25.” 

“Very impressive.” Lex smiled. 

Juliet checked her watch. 7:35. “Oh, man. Dad, we gotta go. I hate to take it and go-”

“No, no. I came by early so you’d have it before school. Have a good day,” Lex  nodded. “Mr. Summers.” Lex held his hand out to the older man. 

Hesitantly, Steven shook his head. “Thank you, for the new chair. She’s right when she  said we can’t afford a new one right now.” 

“No problem at all.” He withdrew his wallet from his jacket pocket and took out a  business card. He handed it to Juliet. “If I can ever help with anything, just give me a call.”

* * *

“Your dad got you a new chair already?” Mrs. Kent asked as Clark and Juliet came  down the drive. 

“Uh, no. Lex Luthor stopped by before school and gave it to me. He said he was sorry  for yesterday and gave me a new chair. I mean, this one’s even smoother than my old chair,” she beamed. 

Clark’s eyes land on the red and white truck with a blue bow on the hood. “Hey, Mom.  Who’s truck?” 

“Yours.” She sighed. “It’s a gift from Lex Luthor.” She took a card from her pocket and  handed it to Clark. 

He opened the card and saw the initials  _ LL _ . Clark read it aloud. “ _ Dear Clark, drive  _ _ safely. Always in your debt. A maniac in a Porsche. _ I don’t believe it.” He looked back at Martha. “Where are the keys?” 

“Your father has them.”

Clark’s face dropped. He took the handles of Juliet’s chair and pushed her in front of  him. A ways away, Jonathan was running wood through their chipper. Upon seeing the teens, he turned the chipper off and took off his goggles and headphones. 

“I know how much you want it, son. But you can’t keep it.” Jonathan made his way  past Clark into the barn.

“Why not? I saved the guy’s life.” Clark protested. 

“So you think you deserve a prize?” 

“That’s not what I meant.” He followed his father, still bringing Juliet with him. “Look,  how about you drive the new one and I’ll drive the old one? Everybody wins.”

“This is not about winning, Clark.” 

“Should I be here?” She whispered over her shoulder to Clark. 

Clark didn’t answer her. “It’s not like the Luthors can’t afford it.” 

“Do you want to know why that is?” Jonathan sighed. “Do you remember Mr. Bell? 

We used to go fishing on his property? How about Mr. Guy? He used to send us pumpkins every Halloween. Well, Lionel Luthor promised to cut them in on a deal. He sent them flashy gifts. Only once they sold him their property, he went back on his word. He had them evicted, Son.” 

Juliet looked down at the wheels of the chair she was seated in and frowned. 

“So you’re judging Lex on what his father did? He replaced Jules’ chair,” Clark pointed  out. 

“No, Clark, I’m not. I just want to make sure you know where the money came from  that bought that truck.” 

Clark went towards the stairs leading to the loft of the barn but stopped when Jonathan  spoke again. “Clark, I know you’re upset, son, but it’s normal.” 

Clark tossed his school bag up the stairs, making Juliet jump, and went back to  Jonathan. “Normal?” Clark stormed out of the barn and back to the wood-chipper and turned it on, holding up his other arm. “How about this? Is this normal?” He stuck his arm into the opening of the machine. 

“Clark!” Jonathan ran over, Juliet rolling after him as quickly as she could. He pulled  Clark’s arm out and Juliet turned the machine off. The boy’s arm was untouched despite his destroyed shirt sleeve. 

“I didn’t dive in after Lex’s car and happened to take Jules with me! It hit us at 60 miles  an hour and I wrapped myself around her. Does that sound normal to you? I’d give anything to be normal!” Once again, Clark stormed off and brought Juliet with him. He picked her up out of her chair and she wrapped her arms around his neck so he could carry her up the stairs to the loft. She looked at Jonathan over Clark’s shoulder, who was exchanging a look with Martha.

* * *

Juliet was sitting in the chair by Clark’s telescope and he stood next to her. They both  turned when footsteps came closer. Jonathan was there with something wrapped up in a cloth. “It’s time, son.” 

“Time for what?” Clark sighed. 

“The truth. But I think Juliet should join your mother in the house, first,” Jonathan suggested. 

Juliet held her arms up but Clark shook his head. “She can hear it. I trust her.” 

Jonathan sighed but knew Clark wasn’t going to let the girl go anywhere. He  unwrapped the item from the cloth and handed it to Clark, who held it in such a way  that Juliet could see it. 

“I think it’s from your parents. Your real parents.” 

The teens stared at the octagonal diskette in Clark’s hands. “What does it say?” 

“I tried to decipher it for years, but it’s not written in any language known to  man,” Jonathan admitted.

“What do you mean?” Clark looked up. 

“Your real parents weren’t exactly from around here.” Jonathan pointedly  looked at the telescope. 

Juliet giggled. “You think he’s an alien from another planet?”

Clark chuckled along with her. “And I suppose you stashed my spaceship in the  attic?” 

“Actually, it’s in the storm cellar,” he corrected. 

They went down to the storm cellar, where Clark and Juliet gaped at the large,  black mass. Clark took a step back and Juliet stiffened. “Wait, this is a joke, right?” He  paused and glared at his father. “Why didn’t you tell me about this before?” His shout  made Juliet flinch. 

“We wanted to protect you,” Jonathan tried to calm his son down. 

“Protect me from what? You should have told me!” Clark dropped Juliet into his  father’s arms and she yelped, instinctively putting her arms around the man’s shoulders. Clark sped away out of the cellar and Juliet tucked herself smaller into Jonathan’s arms at the sudden gust of wind.

* * *

“I’m sorry, Mr. Kent. I didn’t-” 

“You didn’t do anything,” Jonathan placed Juliet in her chair. “Why don’t I give  you a ride home? I don’t want you going that far on your own.” 

“You sound like  _ my _ dad,” Juliet giggled. She rolled alongside Jonathan. “He  almost kept me home from school before Lex gave me this new chair. He was worried  the wheels weren’t stable enough to handle the jostling of the hallway.” 

“Well, you’ve gotta be careful, Juliet. You aren’t like every other kid out there.” 

They reached the truck and Jonathan opened the passenger side door before picking Juliet backup and placing her on the chair. She turned herself so she was facing forward while Jonathan folded her chair and placed it in the box, securing it with the bungecords  installed specifically for her chair. 

“It’s kinda funny when you think about it,” Juliet spoke once Jonathan was in  the cab of the truck with her. 

“What is?” He reversed onto the road. 

“Someone like Clark being best friends with a cripple like me.” She smirked but  it didn’t hold any joy. “Explains how he’s always carrying me around without getting  tired, huh?” 

“Juliet, you know your condition doesn’t bother Clark. It doesn’t even phase  him,” Jonathan glanced at the girl. 

“I just...I wonder how sometimes.” 

“Because your condition doesn’t define you. It’s a part of you, sure, but it’s not all you  are.”

* * *

Clark walked down a deserted hall with Juliet rolling next to him. “Hello?” He called out. 

“There are people in there,” she pointed in the direction of metal clanging. They walked closer to the sound and watched the fencers in awe.

A long haired woman pinned the man to a wall and he angrily threw his sword at the wall, too close to Clark’s head for comfort. The woman stepped back and they both took off their helmets. 

“Clark? Juliet?” Lex finally spotted them. “I didn’t see you.” 

“We, uh, we buzzed but no one answered.” Clark wiped his palms on his jeans and took hold of Juliet’s wheelchair. 

Lex removed his sword from the wall. “How’d you get through the gate?” 

“We kinda squeezed through the bars…” Juliet trailed off, not meeting Lex’s eyes. The bald man cocked his head. 

“If this is a bad time-” 

“Oh, no, no. I think Hykia has sufficiently kicked my ass for the day,” he cut Clark off and tossed the woman his helmet. 

“This is a great place.” Clark gazed around. 

“Yeah? If you’re dead and in the market for something to haunt,” Lex scoffed. 

“I could think of worse places to haunt,” Juliet giggled.

“I mean, it’s roomy,” Clark tried correcting. 

Lex exited the room and Clark followed him, pushing Juliet in front of him. “It’s the Luthor ancestral home, or so my father claims. He had it shipped over from Scotland stone by stone.” 

“Yeah, I remember trucks rolled through town for weeks but no one ever moved in.” Clark nodded. 

Lex started up the stairs, but stopped and turned back towards the teens. “Got a system, Juliet, for getting up stairs?” 

“Yeah. We’ve got it,” she nodded. She made grabby hands at Clark who chuckled at her antics. 

Clark picked Juliet up and walked up the stairs, placing her on the top step. He then jogged back down the stairs and picked her chair. Once it was a safe distance from the stairs, he picked the girl back up and placed her in it. 

“If Clark is adventurous, he’ll go backwards down the stairs and pull by chair from the front.” Julliet rolled alongside Lex, Clark on her other side. “Does your father ever visit you, Lex?” 

“Not since I came here. He hasn’t even stepped through the front door of this place.” 

“Then why’d he have it shipped over?” Clark raised a brow. 

“Because he could.” 

The trio entered another room, this one more relaxed with a fire in the fireplace. Lex took off his fencing jacket. “How’s the new ride?” Lex inquired. 

“That’s why I’m here.” Clark scratched the back of his head and ruffled his brown curls while Lex opened a water bottle after having tossed his jacket. 

“What’s the matter? You don’t like it?” 

“No, it’s not that,” Clark quickly corrected. “I can’t keep it.” 

Lex paused and put his water down, going to the two teens. He rolled up his sleeves as he scrutinized them. “Clark, you save my life. I think it’s the least I can do.” 

Clark looked down. 

“Your fathers don’t like me, do they?” Lex’s voice was knowing. “Returning your chair and Clark’s carrying your home?” he chuckled. 

“My dad’s cautious but he doesn’t hate you,” Juliet shook her head. “We  _ are _ thankful to you for replacing my chair.” 

Clark still wouldn’t meet Lex’s eyes. 

The bald man ran his hand over his head. “It’s okay, Clark. I’ve been bald since I was nine,” he turned to a full length mirror and gazed at his head. “I’m used to people judging me before they get to know me.” 

“It’s nothing personal. He’s just not crazy about your dad,” Clark tried to patch it up. 

“Figures the apple doesn’t fall from the tree? Understandable.” He turned away from the mirror and back to Clark and Juliet. “What about you, Clark? Did you fall far from the tree?” 

Clark didn’t say anything for a moment, but finally looked at Lex who smiled slightly. “We’d better go. Thanks for the truck.” He handed the keys back to Lex. Clark turned from Lex, taking hold of Juliet’s chair. She looked over her shoulder like she wanted to say something but didn’t know what. 

“Do you believe a man can fly?” Lex’s words stopped Clark in his tracks and he turned  back around.

“Sure.” Clark nodded. “In a plane.” 

“No,” Lex huffed a chuckle at Clark’s sarcasm, “I’m not talking about that. I’m talking  about soaring through the clouds with nothing but air beneath you.” 

“People can’t fly, Lex.” 

“I did,” he looked out the window. “After the accident; before we resurfaced. It was the most exhilarating minute of my life. I flew over Smallville and for the first time, I didn’t see a dead end. I saw a new beginning.” He smiled at Clark. “Thanks to you, I have a second chance.” 

Clark looked down, feeling suddenly self-conscious. 

“We have a future, Clark. And I get the feeling Juliet isn’t excluded from that future. I don’t want anything to stand in the way of our friendship.”

* * *

“What did you want to show us, Chloe?” Juliet asked the next day in The Torch office. 

“The killings that have been going on? This guy’s name is Jeremy Creek. This is a picture of him from the yearbook 12 years ago.” The blonde clicked to a different picture. “This is one I took four hours ago.” 

“That’s impossible,” Clark denied. “He’d be like 26 today. Must be a kid who looks  like him.” 

“My money was on the evil twin theory,” Pete agreed, “till we checked this missing persons.”

Chloe handed the paper to Juliet and Clark looked over her shoulder. “Jeremy disappeared from the state infirmary a few days ago where he’d been in a coma for 12 years. They say he suffered from a massive electrolyte imbalance.” 

“That’s why he hasn’t aged a day,” Pete concluded. 

“So he just woke up?” Clark still didn’t fully believe them. 

“The electricity charged him up like a battery, is what you’re saying,” Juliet nodded. “Crazier things have happened.” 

“And now he’s back in Smallville, putting former jocks into comas. Why?” 

“Because 12 years ago today, they chose Jeremy Creek as the scarecrow,” Pete sighed. 

Chloe handed over another paper. “Comatose boy found in a field, 20 yards from meteor strike.” 

“So it wasn’t the electrolytes, it was from the meteor rocks,” Juliet put two and two together. “The exposure messed him up. That makes more sense. Clark’s dad was the one to let my dad down, but he wasn’t in a coma.” 

“This can’t be right,” Clark shook his head. 

“I think you ought to show him,” Pete said to Chloe.

“Show me what?” Clark looked between them. 

Chloe opened the door to a dark room and Pete turned on the light. On the side wall were dozens of news articles and magazine covers. “It started out as a scrapbook and just kind of mutated.” 

“What is it?” Clark studied it. 

“I call it the  _ Wall of Weird _ .” She stood before it and spread her arms out. “Every strange, bizarre, and unexplained event that’s happened in Smallville since the meteor shower.” 

Next to a  _ Small Ledger article _ reading  _ “Area man gains finger on left hand, loses one on right _ ,” was a photo of Juliet and her father. 

“Why am I on here? I was in a car crash, nerves in my lumbar spine were damaged, and I now have paraplegia. That’s not so out of the blue.” Juliet crosses her arms over her chest. 

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” Clark asked slowly. 

“Do you tell me everything that happens in your life? We all keep secrets, Clark,” Chloe defended herself. 

Another picture was of a young, sobbing Lana Lang. Clark’s eyes went wide. “Lana and Jules? It’s all my fault,” he said to himself. He rushed out of the room, Chloe and Pete staring after him. 


End file.
